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Western Australia Solar

Carnegie’s Garden Island Microgrid starts construction.

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Carnegie Clean Energy, whose solar, battery, wave and desalination microgrid plans have been the topic of much discussion since they was announced earlier this year, have commenced construction on their 2MW Perth solar PV / battery energy storage microgrid. Carnegie’s Garden Island Microgrid (GIMG) project will be the largest embedded, grid-connected solar and battery microgrid in Australia.

About the Garden Island Microgrid

According to Carnegie’s website, Carnegie Clean Energy Limited (formerly Carnegie Wave Energy) is an “Australian, ASX-listed (ASX: CCE) developer of utility scale solar, battery, wave and hybrid energy projects.” The website notes that Carnegie is the only company in the world which has a  combination of wave, solar, wind, battery storage and desalination via microgrids.

Carnegie Clean Energy - Garden Island Microgrid
Carnegie Clean Energy – Garden Island Microgrid (source: carnegiece.com)

Using microgrid technology means the project will be able to function independently from the main power grid, and using hybrid sources of energy generation along with storage means they won’t run out of energy if the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. The system will have 3MW of solar PV panels and a 2MW battery energy storage system.

Carnegie’s chief exec Michael Ottaviano was quoted earlier this year (at an energy storage conference in Sydney) discussing stand alone power systems (microgrids) – after having installed over a dozen for both Western Power and Horizon Energy. “It is just a cheaper, cleaner more secure solution than the alternative,” Ottaviano said. “The cost of technology is coming down. What was an economic driver for remotes systems, is now true for the fringe of grid and on the main grid too.”

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg and Defence Minister Marise Payne released a joint statement which lauded the work done by Carnegie:  “The Government continues to support the work of Carnegie and we look forward to seeing how this project will inform Carnegie’s ability to provide energy security solutions at island locations in the future”.

Carnegie have inked supply agreements with the Department of Defense (in order to supply power and water (via the desalination plant) to HMAS Stirling – Australia’s biggest naval base in Perth, which is home to more than 2,300 service personnel.

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Byford Solar Farm largest in WA

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Construction on the Byford Solar Farm will commence shortly as Kleenheat have entered into an agreement with clean energy company WestGen. Kleenheat will purchase the solar power and the renewable energy certificates generated from the construction of the upcoming Byford solar farm, which will be build 35km south of Perth.

Byford Solar Farm

The farm will cost approximately $70m to complete and it will be able to generate up to 30MW of power – the largest solar farm of its type in WA. According to a press release on the Wesfarmers website (Kleenheat is owned by Wesfarmers), the 75 hectare project will be commissioned early next year and will help save 67,000 tonnes / year of CO2 emissions.

Mark Gadsby, the GM of Kleenheat, spoke about how the Byford farm will allow them to purchase wholesale energy at competitive pricing – which will have a follow on effect for their customers. “This is a way of securing the best price for the energy at its source, strengthening our ability to compete in the market to secure and retain business customers in the contestable electricity space,” said Mr Gadsby.

The Director of WestGen, Richard Harris, said that the partnership of Kleenheat and WestGen over the Byford Solar Farm proved that renewable energy is now a very viable option in Western Australia and nationwide – being quoted as saying that “With technological advances and economies of scale, large-scale renewable energy developers can offer more and more competitively-priced and reliable supply that is environmentally sustainable”.

The project is expected to provide around 100 jobs to the area at peak construction and will be the only utility scale solar farm in a metro area in Australia.

Byford Solar Form EPC Contract

Byford Solar Farm
Byford Solar Farm (source: perthnow.com.au)

According to RenewEconomy, Perth based WHBO Infrastructure will JV with Phoenix Solar (based in Singapore) to deliver the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) for the project. WHBO GM Will Gobler spoke excitedly about the project, and advised that the landmark project will help raise the image of solar power in Western Australia significantly:  “It’s an important project. Not only will it set a new benchmark for solar projects in WA, but will also provide benefits for the local economy, with opportunities for our workforce, as well as for subcontractors and suppliers.

The project is expected to be fully commissioned and operational by mid 2018, after multiple delays.

 

 

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AER $8m wind & solar farm Port Gregory, WA

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GMA Garnet have commissioned AER (Advanced Energy Resources) to build a 3MW wind and solar farm Port Gregory in mid-Western Australia. Port Gregory is located 60 km south of Kalbarri (and 120km from the nearest substation, so this is a significant development for the GMA Garnet mine).

AER Solar Farm Port Gregory

Advanced Energy Resources - Solar Farm Port Gregory
Advanced Energy Resources (source: advancedenergy.net.au)

Advanced Energy Resources, part of the Castelli Group, will develop the project for the GMA Garnet mine – it will supply almost 70% of the mine’s power – which will then in turn reduce carbon footprint by about 5,000 tones of carbon dioxide per annum. The West reported that CFO of GMA, Grant Cox said the farm will help the mine reduce input costs in combating the increasing cost of electricity  – and also lauded the environmental impact of the the project –  “We are proud to be moving our operation to have the lowest carbon emissions in the industry,” he said.

AER MD Luca Castelli also spoke proudly of the collaboration – noting the company’s proven track record of embedded renewable energy generation – and how it is a lot cheaper than ‘dirty’ power generated through fossil fuels. “We are proud to be partnering with GMA Garnet in this groundbreaking project which will credibly display how AER can reduce costs for large energy users while providing tangible benefits to regional electricity networks and fringe of grid areas” Castelli said.

AER, which was founded in 2006, already owns and operates a renewable portfolio so this is a welcome addition.

Funding renewables for mines is still a new idea and faces a lot of challenges – with National Australia Bank (NAB)’s global head of resources, energy, and Northern Australia, Phillip Mak, recently addressing a panel on renewable energy in resources on the issue. Mak was quoted as telling the Energy and Mines Summit in Perth“…the big challenge is convincing miners, investors and bankers, that the integration is very well understood and reliable”.

This is a great step for Western Australian Solar  and it’s also positive seeing renewable energy in resources become a larger part of our renewables conversation, given that natural resources contribute significantly to export performance and also to our GDP, albeit to a lesser degree.

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Broome Solar Power – Horizon Power’s Plan

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Residents of Broome in Western Australia are becoming frustrated with their inability to access solar power in one of WA’s sunniest towns, according to the ABC. Broome Solar power is becoming a real problem for residents who want to invest in the renewables boom but aren’t able to due to WA’s massive landscape and tiny population density.

Broome Solar Power Install Cap

As the state-owned energy utility Horizon Power own the grid in Broome, they have put restrictions on the residents so that only 10% of the town’s power is allowed to be generated from solar. This is to protect the grid from being compromised when the sun doesn’t come out. Horizon Power are responsible for generating, procuring, distributing and retailing the electricity and they are dealing with dozens of microgrids so it can be difficult to manage energy.

According to the ABC, Horizon Power are currently trialling battery storage systems in Carnarvon and Onslow to help mitigate the problem – with Horizon spokesman Frank Tudor quoted as saying “Broome will be part of the trials that we are looking at across all of our different systems, if that proves worthwhile then we will gradually roll it out”.

Broome Solar Power
Broome Solar Power (source ABC.net.au)

Horizon Power

Horizon Power Logo
Horizon Power WA

Horizon Power were established in 2006 during reforms to Western Australia’s solar electricity sector and service apprximately 2.3 million squre kilometres. They are responsible for 47,000 connections and supply more than 100,000 residents and 10,000 businesses in regional towns and remote communities across Western Australia.

Given the unique challenges of servicing such a huge area with such a low amount of customers (they have one customer for every 53.5 km2, the lowest in the world, it is understandable that Horizon Power needs to come out with some novel solutions to provide stable electricity to their constituents. Their decentralised delivery model is both a blessing and a curse in this situation – they’re able to work quickly to local issues but residents in towns like Broome are left with this situation where the microgrids (Horizon have 32 microgrids across the state) are too small to withstand any sort of major swing in renewable production.

Read more about their renewable energy blueprint by clicking here or viewing the video below:

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Australian Renewable Energy Agency Solar Grants – 12 Plants Reach Financial Close in April

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Australian Renewable Energy Agency
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) have reached a significant solar milestone with their funding of PV plants in Australia. As of EOM April 2017 all 12 plants currently receiving grant funding from ARENA have reached a “financial close”. A financial close refers to the fact that all plants are fully financed with council and environmental approvals. They also have agreements in place with regards to grid connection, construction, and engineering. Nine of the plants have already begun construction and, when completed, the 12 plants will generate enough renewable energy to power 150,000 homes. All together, the 12 plants will generate 468.8MW of solar energy – and this doesn’t count at least six more plants being developed without any assistance from ARENA.

ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht noted that the total cost of plant production has decreased by 40% over the last three years. The amount of grant funding required to launch large-scale solar projects has also shrunk dramatically – from $1.60/watt three years ago to just 28c per watt in 2017. In addition to this, there are at least six PV plants in advanced stages of development that have received no funding, an indication that the industry has advanced to a level where it’s financially feasible to develop solar plants even without any government intervention and Australia is well on its way to reaching our 2020 renewable energy target (large-scale renewable energy generation of 33,000 GWh)

The 12 plants received a total of $92m in grants from ARENA – in addition to $1bn provided by private investment.

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) Funded Solar Plants

The Solar Plants ARENA have funded and their capacity:

  1. QLD – Kidston Solar Park, 50MW
  2. QLD – Longreach Solar Park, 15MW
  3. QLD – Collinsville Solar Power Station, 42MW
  4. QLD – Oakey Solar Farm, 25MW
  5. QLD – Darling Downs Solar Farm, 106.8MW
  6. QLD – Whitsunday Solar Farm, 52.8MW
  7. NSW – White Rock Solar Farm, 20MW
  8. NSW – Dubbo Solar Hub, 22.4MW
  9. NSW – Manildra Solar Farm, 42.4MW
  10. NSW – Parkes Solar Farm, 46MW
  11. NSW – Griffith Solar Farm (Neoen), 26.4MW
  12. WA – Emu Downs Solar Farm, 20.1MW

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